Three-quarters of parents questioned opposed national tests for seven year olds.

But half of those in Wales and two out of three questioned in England said 11 year olds should be tested.

They were even more strongly in favour of national tests for 14 year olds, in a poll carried out for the Times Educational Supplement.

COMPULSORY SCHOOL TESTS Who takes what, around the UK

The poll comes just a few weeks before seven, 11 and 14-year-old children sit national curriculum tests.

Its publication coincides with the teachers' conference season, when their unions traditionally re-state their opposition to the tests.

They say the process causes stress and narrows the curriculum because schools feel obliged to "teach to the test", focusing on the tested subjects of English, maths and science.

Standards

Wales has scrapped formal tests of seven year olds. In England, the government is running a pilot scheme to make more use of teacher assessment of pupils of this age.

But it says the tests and the performance tables generated from them are important in the drive to improve standards - and are here to stay.

The reason we have testing is to fulfil the potential of every child Department for Education and Skills

The poll was taken among 736 parents last month by FDS International.

The Welsh Assembly is reviewing tests for 11 and 14 year olds, but most parents in Wales who were questioned for the survey said they wanted to keep tests for 14 year olds.

Half supported testing 11 year olds and 67% were in favour of tests for 14 year olds.

Support for testing at 11 and 14 was even higher in England.

The poll showed 67% in favour of testing at 11, rising to 72% in the case of 14 year olds, while only 29% of parents asked wanted the tests scrapped.

The National Union of Teachers balloted its members on proposals to boycott this year's national tests.

A majority voted for a boycott but under the union's rules the turnout was too low for it to go ahead.

The union will discuss the issue again at its annual conference in Harrogate, beginning on Friday.

Support

The National Confederation of Parent Teacher Associations said "a significant number" of its associations believed teachers should not boycott tests in primary schools - often called Sats.

But given the strength of feeling about tests at age 7 "we think it is probable that parents would back a teacher boycott of Sats for seven-year-olds", said its chief executive, David Butler.

"We urge the government to listen to parents and re-think the future of Sats now.

"In particular, the government should drop formal tests at age seven, review formal testing at age 11 and think seriously about allowing a greater degree of teacher assessment in primary level tests within a rigorous and robust framework."

But a spokesperson for the Department for Education and Skills said: "What parents want is for their own child to have their own individual talents developed.

"Testing helps teachers to do this and the government will simply not contemplate abandoning testing.

"It would be a huge step back to the past and anyone who thinks otherwise is living in cloud cuckoo land. Every child deserves the chance to succeed."